"It's the genteel anti-Semitism of the time. Jews were politely shut out of the country clubs and the higher echelons of WASP culture." Dan Wackerman

Racism is much in the news lately. Religion and religious extremism has been getting a lot of play too. It's all made me remember (not tha… Read full post »

"If last year was our Silver Anniversary, what's this year?" My Husband
"This year is our Tire Iron Anniversary." Me

Friends used to ask if I chose January 23 --i.e. 1.23-- deliberately, to help my husband remember our anniversary. Nope. We wanted a Saturday night wedding and… Read full post »

"Two things reduce prejudice: education and laughter." Dr. Laurence J. Peter

All the talk swirling around Obama and McCain "playing the race card" brought back a memory of my first brush with racism in my own family. It was ugly. But in the end, inspiring too.

I had two living… Read full post »

One of the benefits of the Open Salon community is its dynamic interactivity. I'm not talking widgets. I mean an even greater technology marvel -- the human mind. Our posts inform, describe, inspire, provoke, touch, evoke, irritate, fascinate, entertain, share, educate. We often provide… Read full post »

"There is something about the presence of a cat...that seems to take the bite out of being alone." Louis Camuti

That cat up there might well take a bite out of you if you're not careful. It's a local story here, but you might have seen it in the news where you live.… Read full post »

Evil (adjective) 1 a : morally reprehensible : SINFUL, WICKED (an evil impulse) b : arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct (a man of evil reputation) 2 a archaic : INFERIOR b : causing discomfort or repulsion : OFFENSIVE (an evil odor) c : DISAGREEABLE (woke late… Read full post »

"A vacation is like love - anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort and remembered with nostalgia." Anonymous (One out of three for me).

Last December we went to a ritzy all-included resort in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. My husband's business had won the all-expenses paid trip… Read full post »

"How will the M.B.A.'s and the politicians respond to what can only be termed a 'patient-driven revolution'? They will have to cope. I suspect doctors will be thrilled." Dr. Peter Salgo The Doctor Will See You for Exactly Seven Minutes - New York Times

Health care in this country is a… Read full post »

"Sex is as important as eating or drinking and we ought to allow the one appetite to be satisfied with as little restraint or false modesty as the other." Marquis De Sade"

Take note: The Marquis De Sade may have been seriously twisted in many ways, but this quote/… Read full post »

Barack Obama wrote me an email last week. Signed, Barack. He addressed me personally, as Sally. Which is odd, since we never met. I didn't contribute to his campaign. Hmm. He must have Hillary's lists now. No matter, he wants to hear from me. Even though I'm "ordinary."/… Read full post »

  
 Bob and Judy shortly before his crash

"Death ends a life, not a relationship." Robert Benchley

Our society is obsessed with pigeonholing people. Who are you? What do you do? Where do you live? Are you married or single? Do you have kids? Where'd you go to school? What's your/… Read full post »

Note: I was out of the country dodging bombs and bulldozers when Salon published Pro-life pharmacies in which Catherine Price quoted a pro-life pharmacist's lawyer saying,"The United States was founded on the idea that people act on their conscience -- that they have a sense of r… Read full post »

"Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage." Anais Nin

They say life gives you only as much as you can handle. If that's true, my niece Karen is Mother Freakin Teresa.

It's hard to believe life's given her such heavy burdens. Not that she can't handle them. She's… Read full post »

During my son's early childhood our summers were spent in a big rambling house at the Jersey shore. Right on the beach. Before man-made protective sand dunes obstructed the glorious ocean view. Before sports teams and camp and summer jobs and college took away the simplicity of warm… Read full post »

The picture above is from my niece's wedding last March in Israel. There's nothing like a wedding to bring people together. 

Our family's weddings in Israel do more than that -- they bring worlds together. I missed the latest one in February because I had surgery. I've finally gott… Read full post »

Father's Day at my house. As a child, a nightmare. Then, fortunately, a dream come true. Now a beautiful reality.

Although he died (wow) almost 50 years ago, I'm still unable to write about--or even discuss--my biological father. My stomach clenches just thinking of him. I truly fear if… Read full post »

"We control fifty percent of a relationship. We influence one hundred percent of it." Dr. Joyce Brothers

"My husband said he wanted to have sex with a redhead, so I dyed my hair." Jane Fonda

To state the obvious, I'm a fan of lists. They're compact, succinct, to the point./… Read full post »

"One in every 330 Americans develops cancer before the age of twenty." AlexsLemonade.com

Every June since 8-year-old Alexandra Scott of Philadelphia lost her life to cancer, Alex's Lemonade Stand holds a summer campaign to raise money for research to cure pediatric cancer. In our… Read full post »

Normal vision vs encroaching Macular Degeneration

[Update: Today, June 6, 2008 is my mother's 85th birthday. Happy Birthday, Mom, we love you to pieces!]

It's time I told you about my interesting and accomplished family. Unfortunately, we've had more than our share of heartache, but we've al… Read full post »

Meme: "an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture." Merriam-Webster Dictionary

I've been following a blog trend called Memes. As defined above, a meme is the essence of viral community. By the way, meme is also French for "same."

Among bloggers,… Read full post »

I made my media bones in the 70's among some pretty impressive company. The likes of Tom Brokaw, Peter Jennings, Johnny Apple, David Broder, even Walter Cronkite, to name-drop a few, contributed to my personal and professional growth. Of course I've got stories to tell.

I'm going to st… Read full post »

I'm not proud of this story, but I fear too many of us have similar ones, especially since 9/11.  So it's offered as an Object Lesson: no matter how much you believe you're a bona fide card-carrying Liberal, there are times your well hidden prejudices will jump up and bite you.

I/… Read full post »